laveritecestla

Hi! Not an applicant but was in your shoes two years ago, so just popping in to say that I'm happy to answer any questions about the process/my experiences!

Yep. My program spans two universities, so I'm a registered student at both, and both institutions have dedicated staff for graduate fellowships. I met with them early in the process and got feedback from them, as well as from other students in my program who received the GRFP in the past, my current advisor, my undergraduate advisor, and some faculty mentors (one of whom has been on the GRFP review panel in the past). I agree that it is an amazing resource to have, and it sucks that you didn't have that support when you applied.

The fellowship admin at my institution told us to put down 4.0/4.0 since we apparently have perfect GPAs until we get grades.

Also got it! Apparently the second time is the charm, which is good, since this was my last shot. Happy to post my materials as well (with some personal info redacted) + reviewer feedback once we get it if other people would like it for future years!

Also an alternate and wondering the same thing.

Just got the email that results are posted!

It is - you're still considered a GEM Fellow, but your institution pays for you directly.

Personally, I’d only advise working if you need the money, and I wouldn’t really recommend doing something in your field (I was a camp counselor) if you’re doing your PhD. You’ll be working basically nonstop for the next six years and this is the last summer you’ll really ever have off - enjoy it!

BU sends out their acceptances in waves over about a month.

@dontor Historically they send them all out on one day. ☹️

@dontor They do like three visit weekends! You should get another email with more details on which weekend you've been assigned. Congrats!

@extramaniac It's hard to say anything more specific than stellar grades from R1 institutions. Many of the people in my Ph.D. cohort were rejected from Stanford, so I'm guessing research fit is also a big part of it. I spent the summer before applying at Stanford working in Bioengineering and met with the chair of the admissions committee and was still rejected (probably because of my GPA), so who you know definitely isn't all of it.

Applied to the Predoctoral!

@dontor Can confirm, I'm a current Ph.D. student applying to fellowships (and hoping to assuage some of your fears) who applied last year. I got my rejection from Stanford on Feb 7 last year if that helps?

@mayu101 BU typically releases in waves from mid-Jan to mid-Feb, so it's hard to say.